Comeback girls hope McIlroy magic does the trick for Bangor
Daily Mail
30 Mar 2009
MANDY McEVOY and Elaine Elborn are hoping the Rory McIlroy magic rubs off on them as they bid to win the first Irish Mail All-Ireland Trophy.
Both have both been coached at Bangor by respected professional Michael Bannon, the man who looks after the swing of young sensation Rory McIlroy.
And they certainly showed the McIlroy touch as they beat Donaghadee’s Cynthia Burne and June Manson 3&2 to romp into the second round of the brand new competition.
Bannon, who will be flying out to Augusta to watch McIlroy play in his first Masters, helped the young man with his game when he was a junior at Holywood Golf Club, and he remains his current coach and devoted mentor now he is the professional at Bangor..
‘It’s great having young Rory coming down to the club to have a session with Michael. We all enjoy having him around and we feel we have Rory’s coach behind us, so look out everyone,’ said Mandy McEvoy.
For Mandy and Elaine Elborn, competing in the Irish Mail Trophy is an important and enjoyable part of their golfing rehabilitation. Both gave up competitive golf for many years after the death of a parent, and now they have teamed up to play for Bangor in the Irish Mail Trophy.
In her teens Mandy was a bright prospect, playing for Ulster Seniors and Ireland Juniors. But when her mother died in 1985, she was 22 and was so affected by the loss she gave up competitive golf and is only now rediscovering the game she loved.
Elaine Elborn similarly lost her father, a single figure player from Dungannon, when she was young, and only took up golf again recently after a gap of 30 years.
Mandy said: ‘When my mother died, I just lost interest in serious golf. I didn’t have the appetite any more. I felt there were more important things in life. Then I began a career, got married and had triplets.’
She began to play the occasional game and then in 1998 took part in the Irish Championship at Clandeboye. ‘It was just around the corner, so I decided to enter even though I hadn’t really practised. I beat Curtis Cup player Alison Coffey and Ulster’s Helen Jones and reached the semi-final. The bug was back. In 2004 I was called up for the Ulster team, 19 years after I last played for them.’ |
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